Gas smell inside the car
05-27-11, 11:44 AM
#16
agreed.
I had the same problem on my subaru, my mechanic wasn't able to figure it out but the dealer fixed it in one shot. not to mention had I gone to the dealership first I wouldve saved a crap load of $$$...
I had the same problem on my subaru, my mechanic wasn't able to figure it out but the dealer fixed it in one shot. not to mention had I gone to the dealership first I wouldve saved a crap load of $$$...
09-30-22, 11:46 PM
#17
Because you say the smell eminates from the gas cap ... it may be, as others have said, this might be attributed to end-of-life of your gas cap. The seal doesn't last forever. Or you might have chipped the seal on the cap if you dropped it on the ground. Or whatever. If it's the gas cap, it will often also trigger your check engine light due to (I believe) an o2 sensor picking up on the air leaching into the fuel tank. I drove my prior vehicle, a Toyota Avalon out 15 years to about 150k and I had to replace the gas cap twice. A new gas cap is a $15 fix. I'd do it just to exclude it as the root cause.
Because you say the smell occurs in hot weather .. it may be be the charcoal canister in the EVAP system is getting soaked. If you top off the tank, especially in hot weather, especially if you pump more gasoline in after the pump handle cuts off, the gasoline will expand as it warms-up and spill over into the canister, soaking it and causing it to emit gasoline fumes until it dries out. If you do this often enough, it will damage the canister and will need the expensive replacement. I previously owned a 2006 Toyota Avalon and it did the same thing several times … only when I topped it off in very hot weather ... and others have told me it has happened with other various brands as well. As a result, my habit is to never fill to more than 3/4 (unless I have a special reason for needing to do so). When I am pumping I am looking at "gallons in" (rather than the price) to estimate when I reach 3/4.
Because you say your VIN was not included in the 9LA recall ... Sometimes car manufacturers fudge somewhat on the VIN numbers they bracket, to the low side. To save money, to publically make the issue seem less prevalent, whatever. If the gas cap doesn't fix it, you might have your every-day mechanic take a few minutes to give the fuel rails a look-over. Though since you say you pinned down the source to the left rear wheel and/or near the gas cap, it's probably not the root cause.
Because you say the smell occurs in hot weather .. it may be be the charcoal canister in the EVAP system is getting soaked. If you top off the tank, especially in hot weather, especially if you pump more gasoline in after the pump handle cuts off, the gasoline will expand as it warms-up and spill over into the canister, soaking it and causing it to emit gasoline fumes until it dries out. If you do this often enough, it will damage the canister and will need the expensive replacement. I previously owned a 2006 Toyota Avalon and it did the same thing several times … only when I topped it off in very hot weather ... and others have told me it has happened with other various brands as well. As a result, my habit is to never fill to more than 3/4 (unless I have a special reason for needing to do so). When I am pumping I am looking at "gallons in" (rather than the price) to estimate when I reach 3/4.
Because you say your VIN was not included in the 9LA recall ... Sometimes car manufacturers fudge somewhat on the VIN numbers they bracket, to the low side. To save money, to publically make the issue seem less prevalent, whatever. If the gas cap doesn't fix it, you might have your every-day mechanic take a few minutes to give the fuel rails a look-over. Though since you say you pinned down the source to the left rear wheel and/or near the gas cap, it's probably not the root cause.
Last edited by DrQuality; 09-30-22 at 11:55 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
1up
GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005)
14
08-25-16 04:41 PM
White98ARISTO
GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005)
32
01-14-06 11:00 AM
